The scene is worthy of a disaster movie.
A huge wave of sand a hundred meters high enveloped the parks, homes and buildings of a city in China located near the Gobi Desert, in the northwest of the country.
Known for its rich history, the city of Dunhuang, located along the ancient Silk Road in Gansu province, was engulfed Sunday by an impressive ocher-brown cloud.
A city covered in "five or six minutes"
A resident told local media
Jimu News
that the sandstorm came suddenly and blanketed the city in just five or six minutes.
"I could no longer see the sun," he said, pointing out that Dunhuang had not experienced such a phenomenon for several years.
“At first I was surrounded by yellow dust from the sandstorm, and then it turned red and then finally black.
"
Sandstorm again in #Dunhuang, in #Gansu #China yesterday @arnauldmiguet @ GaelC21 pic.twitter.com/IMCMRiv1XJ
- FranceTVChine (@francetvchine) July 26, 2021
Dunhuang is known for the Mogao Caves, a set of Buddhist chapels and frescoes, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sandstorms are common in the region in spring, but rarer in summer, according to the China News Service news agency.
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